A fine wine, a well stoked fire, and a murder… Or how about a box of chocolates and a kidnapping?
You just can’t underestimate the beauty of a good book.
When was the last time you got swept up in the pages of fiction or fantasy?
As the days get shorter and the temperature drops, there’s never been a better time to dust off some space on the bookshelf and stock up on a few bestsellers.
Bloomsbury has just released a sampler of six new stories that will keep you on the edge of your seat, have you drying your eyes and even dreaming of a distant past.
There’s “A God in Every Stone”, by Kamila Shamsie, which follows the young archaeologist Vivian Rose Spencer on her first dig, and into the First World War, as she discovers love, war and loss.
“My Salinger Year” by Joanna Rakoff, tells the story of a secretary working at a literary agency, in a world miles away from Mad Men. It’s honest and raw, reminding you of the terror and confusion of your first job, when you had no idea what you were meant to be doing or how to do it.
Sue Miller’s “The Arsonist” follows a woman’s transition from East Africa to a small New Hampshire town, which is soon marked by the mystery of an arsonist on the loose.
What do you do when your father starts acting strangely? There’s a fear in us all about the start of the end – but sometimes it’s not the end but the start of something new. “The Sleepwalkers Guide to Dancing” is Mira Jacob’s poignant tale of a family coming to terms with the past.
“Fives and Twenty Fives” by Michael Pitre is a raw look at life after war, when a man struggles to get back to life after serving his country in Iraq and trying to start a new chapter in New Orleans.
Esther Freud’s “Mr Mac and Me” starts with the life of a child who grows up by the sea but is never allowed to look out and dream. His adventures begin when he meets an architect and his wife just on the brink of the First World War.
Intrigued? Have we sparked your imagination?
Download the sampler and go into the draw to win a $300 library of Bloomsbury books.
